Launch day is a little more than a month away. It's hard to believe my book baby is about to come into a world already filled with so many books I don't know how she'll find her way.
It's been an interesting and exciting process from the letter I got from Tirgearr Publishing last July saying they wanted to send me a contract up until all the edits were made, the proofreading done, and the cover designed.
The cover designer created an enticing cover. Now, I'm in the process of getting reviews. I have to admit, I was terrified when I sent out the requests to Amazon's Top Reviewers. Would they hate it? Would they say terrible things about my book?
When the first 5-star review came back only 2 days after I sent the Advanced Reader Copy, I cried, I hate to admit it, but I did. The second one, also 5-star, came early the next morning and when my husband got up I was already sitting at my computer, tears streaming down my face. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Did somebody die?" It was nearly impossible to explain to him what I was feeling. I shared the review with some of my best writing friends, confessed my meltdown and asked the question, "Why does it mean so much?"
My friend, Lloyd Meeker, a wonderful writer, himself, sent the following e-mail and I think he nailed exactly why it means so much to us writers. This is what he said. "This is wonderful, Susan! It's incredible when someone really "gets" what we write -- not just the technique, structure, pacing, dialogue, etc., but the actual story.
Why does it mean so much? Because an understanding stranger really "saw" your creation, and therefore saw something of your truth, too. The anthropologist Eliade declared that the two strongest desires in human experience are to know another and to be known. When someone "gets" something I've written, I feel known at some deep psychic level, and it is an indescribably rich, nourishing experience for me."
I'll probably get some bad reviews along the way, but the shock will be cushioned by those first two good ones. And with good writing friends like Lloyd, I'll weather the storm.
A Bend In The Willow is now available for preorder for only $.99
The price will increase after launch. If you'd like to order a copy, here's a link:
Amazon
It's been an interesting and exciting process from the letter I got from Tirgearr Publishing last July saying they wanted to send me a contract up until all the edits were made, the proofreading done, and the cover designed.
The cover designer created an enticing cover. Now, I'm in the process of getting reviews. I have to admit, I was terrified when I sent out the requests to Amazon's Top Reviewers. Would they hate it? Would they say terrible things about my book?
When the first 5-star review came back only 2 days after I sent the Advanced Reader Copy, I cried, I hate to admit it, but I did. The second one, also 5-star, came early the next morning and when my husband got up I was already sitting at my computer, tears streaming down my face. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Did somebody die?" It was nearly impossible to explain to him what I was feeling. I shared the review with some of my best writing friends, confessed my meltdown and asked the question, "Why does it mean so much?"
My friend, Lloyd Meeker, a wonderful writer, himself, sent the following e-mail and I think he nailed exactly why it means so much to us writers. This is what he said. "This is wonderful, Susan! It's incredible when someone really "gets" what we write -- not just the technique, structure, pacing, dialogue, etc., but the actual story.
Why does it mean so much? Because an understanding stranger really "saw" your creation, and therefore saw something of your truth, too. The anthropologist Eliade declared that the two strongest desires in human experience are to know another and to be known. When someone "gets" something I've written, I feel known at some deep psychic level, and it is an indescribably rich, nourishing experience for me."
I'll probably get some bad reviews along the way, but the shock will be cushioned by those first two good ones. And with good writing friends like Lloyd, I'll weather the storm.
A Bend In The Willow is now available for preorder for only $.99
The price will increase after launch. If you'd like to order a copy, here's a link:
Amazon
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